News

Beth Bertram, transportation director of Marshall County Schools in Moundsville, W.Va., works with local drilling companies to increase safety for the district's school buses. The expanding shale industry has caused heavier traffic and more safety concerns for school buses.

The company buys USA United Fleet Inc., and MV’s student transportation subsidiary, Reliant Transportation Inc., assumes the existing bus fleet and four New York City Department of Education operation and maintenance contracts. The company will begin operation of more than 500 bus routes with about 600 vehicles at the start of school in New York City on Sept. 8.

An abandoned backpack is filled with Molotov cocktails at the stop, which is located less than half a mile from a middle school. Investigators are looking at security tapes from cameras on school buses to see if they can spot any students with the backpack.

The contractor will serve Port Huron Area Schools under the contract, which is set to begin with the 2011-12 school year. First Student is currently interviewing district drivers and local residents to join its transportation staff in Port Huron, as well as adding additional safety features to each of the buses.

Do you know an exemplary school transportation director who deserves some recognition for his or her efforts? We’re getting ready to select a recipient for our 2011 Administrator of the Year award, and we’re accepting nominations. The deadline is next Friday, Aug. 26!

Rachel McCleery, who has been with the association's central staff since early July, will serve as marketing and member assistant. In her new role, McCleery is responsible for contributing to the association's marketing and communications plan, and increasing membership.

Gov. Jerry Brown recently signs into law legislation that will allow air quality management districts to put $2 from motor vehicle registration fees toward emission-control devices for existing school buses. Mike Rea of the California Association of School Transportation Officials tells SBF that based on his understanding of the bill, it will be effective, and that the next step will be for local air districts to adopt a funding program for using the money.

With school buses hitting the road, officials from school districts, bus companies and law enforcement agencies are implementing traffic safety initiatives, and issuing tips for students, motorists and parents. In North Carolina, for example, Rockingham County Schools has installed nine cameras that will rotate among its buses to help catch motorists who illegally pass stopped school buses.

In celebration of its upcoming 10th anniversary, the pupil transportation law publication rolls back its subscription fees and gives away a free eight-page premium edition to new and renewing subscribers.

The legislation, signed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Tuesday, adds to the list of convictions that would either permanently disqualify a school bus driver applicant or disqualify the candidate for five years. Crimes for which a conviction would ban a person from becoming a bus driver include aggravated manslaughter in the first or second degree and sexual abuse in the first degree.

Cleaire Advanced Emission Controls is a provider of particulate matter and nitrogen oxide abatement products for on-road and off-road heavy-duty, diesel-powered vehicles. Officials say that in light of growing demand for mobile-source diesel particulate filters, NewWorld’s investment will enable Cleaire to expand its sales and product support capability in domestic and international markets.

When school starts this month, School District of Manatee County students will be allowed to use laptops and iPads on school buses. The ban on these items is lifted after school principals suggest that time on the bus can be spent doing homework.

Kindergarten through third-grade students from a Georgia elementary school who ride a bus will wear a tag with the number of their bus on it. The safety measure is adopted after a boy gets on the wrong bus and goes missing for several hours.

Following an extensive nationwide search, the Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation picks Bubar, a former consultant of transportation safety for the state, to oversee its operations and staff. Association President Darryl Hofstra shares details on the selection process with SBF.

The 15-year-old boy, who has been in secure detention for 68 days, will spend a maximum of 22 more days there, followed by several months at a treatment center for children, for intentionally starting a fire in June that destroyed four Tippecanoe School Corp. buses. If he fails to comply at the treatment center, he will be sent to the state’s Department of Correction.

Chick-fil-A and Stockpilingmoms.com partner to host the event, in which two school buses will collect donations for Boone County Schools and Kenton County Schools. The bus that collects the most donations will receive an additional $500 for its district.

The superintendent of Keller (Texas) Independent School District says that the system “will operate in much the same way as a city bus pass.” Families can use an online portal to pay either monthly or by the semester for a pass, which will come in the form of a student ID card with embedded RFID tags.

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